Never Again Will I
by MelodinaPotter-Riddle
Summary: Kagome meets the Host Club and is Tamaki's Cousin
1. Change Schools

_Thoughts_

Never again will I…

Chapter 1: …Change Schools

"What the CRAP! You can afford that much!" A shout shook the house causing all in it to cringe.

"Well, honey," a calmer voice began, "actually, we managed to get you a scholarship… I figured since… It's all over, you should go back to school… and, well, when you took the exams, it turns out that you qualified for a scholarship…"

The distressed girl rubbed her temples, taking in what the older woman had just announced. She was going to _Ouran_ High… The event that she thought to be totally implausible had occurred.

"What the hell… Just as long as I don't have to wear those hideous girls uniform…"

Her mother gulped. "Well, actually, my musume, we couldn't afford the expense of the uniform… But your uncle has a son going there. And, well, I'm not sure if he knew of your gender… I took the liberty in packing you the male's uniform, as I'm sure you would not fancy wearing something as hideous as the women's uniform…"

He brother laughed. "Kagome just cut her hair too! She's totally gonna look like a DUDE!"

Kagome stuck her tongue out indignantly, "Bakatare, I have this female part called _breasts_. I swear sometimes you do these things just to annoy me!"

Her mother nervously coughed, "you may just have to keep those parts 'under wrap' so to speak… The uniform might not fit otherwise…" Kagome's eyes widened marginally.

"NO. WAY. I really _will_ look like a dude!"

Mrs. Higurashi shrugged, sending her daughter an apologetic look.

"Kuso… Well, as long as no females ask me out, I'll be fine… I _suppose_…"

Kagome grabbed her suitcase by the door and saluted in a military fashion. "See you in two years!"

Her family watched, and her mother teared, wishing that her father had lived long enough to watch his grandchild go off like this to such a prestigious school.

When Kagome reached her new apartment after a long taxi ride she smiled. An elevator! She would no longer have to go up a seemingly endless amount of stairs.

As she walked into her apartment, she sighed. Her school was only a block away, but she was on the top floor of a twenty-one story apartment complex.

"Thank the gods for elevators… I wouldn't make it otherwise…"

She stretched out and began unpacking. It hadn't even been ten minutes, when a knock came on her door. She cocked her head slightly, wondering who it could be.

She undid the latches keeping the door locked and turned the knob hesitantly, before fully opening the door. She gasped. It was a boy… about her age too! But why was he cloaked on such a hot day?

"Sumimasen, may I help you?" She felt calmer, as the person let himself in silently. "I apologize for the mess, I'm unpacking at the moment and everything is in a big mess…"

"Hello miss, you may refer to me as Nekozawa. Would you mind if I closed the blinds…" Suddenly it hit Kagome; 'Nekozawa' was the name on the apartment! He was probably the manager's son or something… She was taken aback when the strange boy took out a sort of a cat-shaped hand puppet and preceded to glide over to her, "heh, heh, heh… now, dear woman… What I really came here for! I sensed that my parents had let a strong aura live in our apartment… So I came to check it out! What, may I ask, kind of power do you hold?"

Kagome looked him and decided since he knew already; she may as well toy with him. She grinned evilly, letting her powers consume her. When she opened her eyes, they were consumed with a bright light, "The worst kind of powers, I am afraid… I could easily condemn you past the seventh layer of hell…" She saw the boy bow low.

"My mistress! How long I have waited to meet someone of your stature! Such power flows through you! Please! Take me to be your disciple!"

Kagome absorbed her powers back into her body and giggled, "I was just joking silly! Although I could purify you if I wished… Anyway, I am known as Higurashi, Kagome, but please, just call me Kagome!"

Nekozawa looked up. "You are going to go to Ouran, are you not?" She nodded, "Then, you _must_ join the Black Magic club… You'll fit right in…"

"Well, actually, I wasn't thinking of any clubs this year… Even though I _will_ be a junior…"

Nekozawa slipped past the door, "Just think about it…"

Kagome nodded, knowing that he couldn't see her and turned back to her pile of boxes. She sighed. Maybe Ouran High wouldn't be _too_ bad…


	2. Play the Flute

Chapter 2: … Play the Flute

"Damned high school… Freaking concert band… Screw art credits…" Kagome complained as she gripped the handle of her flute. She was trying to find her way to the band room. She looked up, disgruntled, "Third music room… Well, it sure wasn't the freaking first or second, so may as well try this one…"

She opened the door to be met with the light fragrance of spring flowers. "What the hell!"

"Why, you are no fair maiden coming to explore the darkest depths of our 'vampire cove!'"

"Freaking HELL no! Why the hell would I want to see some random upperclassmen and underclassmen dressed up in some fake fangs! I'm just looking for the band meeting!"

Kagome looked up to see the boy in a corner in the fetal position, seemingly mourning some kind of loss. "Excuse me," a calmer voice began, "I believe that the band room is down the hall… And don't worry about him, he throws these temper tantrums quite often." Kagome looked slightly down.

"You're a girl." She announced tentatively. She glanced up again, the lights having been turned on. She was met with the faces of the whole host club, staring at her like she had grown a second head. "Well, she _is_… Oh! I see; you're trying to _hide_ it… Not very smart if you ask me, someone will find out eventually… Don't worry, though. I won't tell a soul, though I do know quite a few…"

"How did you know?" The voice asked timidly, "I mean, no one else can, so what tipped you off?"

"I'm surprised you're giving into the fact that I know early on! Well, that just shows that you probably aren't doing this willingly, are you?" The girl shook her head. "Well, to start off, what's your name?"

"F-fujioka, Haruhi."

"Ah! You're Ranka's child, nee? Yes, well, in all truths, I too am a female." The blonde haired boy, who apparently crawled out of his corner, grabbed her by the hands.

"Why do you wear the men's garments instead of the females, and how do you know Haruhi?"

"Err… Well, my name is Higurashi, Kagome. I am a Junior here, and my uncle has his son going here. I believe his name is Tamaki… or something like that… Uncle's a real goof…" They all tensed again, but ignoring it, she continued, "I didn't like the female uniform… the strange color just didn't mesh with my soul… I sound like a weirdo, I know. It used to work… Damned gold. And Haruhi, your mother's service was at my family shrine." Her eyes softened a bit.

Gazing over the utterly confused group, she assessed their auras. The newly identified _girl_, Haruhi had a pleasant aura, which at the moment was rather pale from shock. There was a taller man whose aura was neutral, and Kagome sensed amusement. A smaller boy rode on his back, and she was utterly confounded by it. It seemed almost TOO bright. She wondered how he could be so happy. The 'rude boy's' aura was nearly white, a sign of shock and happiness, though she could see a tint of chartreuse, signifying that he was rather up tight and self conscious. The last boy, who seemed the _most_ affected by her, stared directly into her eyes as she assessed him. She liked that he wore glasses. Even his aura appeared to have 'glasses' in a way. It was a dark aura and at the same time, somewhat pure.

The 'rude boy' spoke up, "Does… Does your cousin's last name happen to be 'Suoh?'"

"Yeah!" Kagome yelped, breaking out of her trance, "Do you know him?"

"T-that's _me_…" Her mouth dropped open and she nearly fell backwards. She was caught by none other than Nekozawa. Kagome heard Tamaki yelp. "N-nekozwa-sempai! Unhand my dear cousin!"

Both he and Kagome burst out laughing. "Please!" The cloaked boy chortled, "Like I could do anything to harm her! I bet none of you could even touch her, let alone hurt her!" They continued to laugh, and the host club continued to stare.

"Please excuse us, it's an 'inside joke.'"

Nekozawa tilted his head in blatant confusion, "No, I wasn't kidding! I-mrph!" Kagome clapped her hand over the young man's mouth and laughed nervously before dragging him to the corner that Tamaki usually occupied.

"You can't tell them!" She hissed, "They don't know, and they're gonna think I'm a freak if I do! How many people have you seen that can make their eyes glow!" She illuminated them on purpose, and Nekozawa gulped nervously. "Promise not to tell them?"

"Risk my magic and hope to lose Bereznoff!" She nodded, knowing that that was about the best promise she could get from the boy. Nekozawa proceeded to glide out of the room, calming the other occupants of the room.

They traveled back to the others. "Now, why is it that Haruhi is here, and who are you all?"

"Well," 'glasses' answered, "my name is Kyouya Ohtori; the tall one is Takashi Morinozuka, we just call him Mori; the boy riding on Mori's back is Mitsukuni Hanninozuka, we call him Hunny; and you know Haruhi and Tamaki. Haruhi is here to pay a debt for a vase that she dropped that was supposed to be a part of the school auction."

Kagome shook her head, "You boys are too harsh. However expensive the vase may be, that is no reason to overwork her! I am ashamed of you all!" She had her hand on her hip and was wagging her finger at them.

"Actually, Kagome-sempai, I don't mind doing this at all…" Kagome looked at her incredulously.

"That's… surprising, I suppose. Although, I must ask, do you need any help with anything? If it can help rid you of debt before you're sixty?"

Tamaki's eyes lit up, "You could help Haru-chan host!"

"Well, you wouldn't wish to inconvenience her…" Haruhi tried to coax Tamaki to abandon the idea.

"That is an…_ interesting_ idea."

The small boy, now known as 'Hunny,' spoke up, "Yeah! Wouldn't that be _fun_ 'Gome-chan!"

"'Gome-chan, huh? I like that nickname, Hanninozuka-sempai! Ohtori-san you seem like the finances guy… How much would Fujioka-san's debt be lowered if I helped?"

Kyouya raised a brow. No one had ever pegged him _that_ quickly before. "Well, Kagome, the debt would be reduced by half."

"Good." She said with firm resolve, "Let me help!"

Haruhi smiled. Someone to help her with her debt! She had already decided to stay with the Host Club no matter what, but the thought of clearing her debt was nice too. "Thank you Kagome-sempai."

The woman shook her head, "No, no! Please, just Kagome!" A strange look crossed her face, "Could this count as my 'art credit?'"

Tamaki looked puzzled, "No, why?"

"Because I just missed band." She replied flatly.

"That's okay, 'Gome-chan! That just means you can get dressed!"

"I suppose so… But does that mean you have an extra costume?"

"Well…" Kyouya began tentatively, a glimmer in his eye, "we do have _one_ costume…"

"Great!" They handed her the costume. She blanched, "Maybe NOT so great."

Kagome changed and stepped out of the room. "I freaking look like a freaking _ookami_!" She mumbled to herself. She had a tail and a headband on the top of her head with a set of fangs as well. The costume, overall, really was like Kouga's.

"We got it from an ancient drawing." Kyouya stated.

"You sure freaking _did._"

The costume they had left was a Lycan. Kouga would have been proud.


	3. Eat Cake

Chapter 3: …Eat Cake

Kagome sighed, sitting in her chair lazily, eyes closed. "'Gome-chan! 'Gome-chan! Come sit with Takashi and me!" The girl opened one eye and gazed over at the senior who was calling her. She pushed herself out of the chair, making it as though a big effort.

"Yes, Hanninozuka-sempai? What can I do for you?" Kagome was still rather uncomfortable in the wolf suit; it brought back too many bitter memories.

"I wanted to know if you wanted to sit and have cake with us?" The older boy looked at her with wide pleading eyes. He may have been older, but he reminded her of Shippo. Especially because of his sweet tooth.

"Sure, Hanninozuka-sempai, why not." The fair-haired boy smiled at her and handed her a slice of the sweet cake. "Thank you." She responded politely.

The girls sitting around them giggled, "Who are you?" One managed to ask, her face rather red.

She was about to answer but heard her cousin's voice interrupt her. "This is my _favorite_ cousin and new Host Club member, Kagome Higurashi! Doesn't he look wonderful in his lycan garments? It suits him perfectly!"

"Ooh!" Most of the girls squealed, "He does look _absolutely_ adorable!"

Kagome grumbled, disgruntled that all of this attention had been directed to her. She looked toward Haruhi warily. _How does she do this on a regular basis?_ She wondered.

"Your cousin?" One gasped. All the others gasped, "That's so _cool_!"

"Uh… I guess it's okay…I don't really know Tamaki-san, though. I just found out he was my cousin today… And I'm pretty sure I'm his _only_ cousin." Kagome looked bored.

"Yes," Tamaki said nervously, as if treading on thin ice, "he's just watching today."

"Ooh! A flute!" _Damn! They noticed._ "Play something, Kagome-san!" It seemed the whole club was focused on her at that point.

"Yes, yes! Please play something, 'Gome-chan! Takashi and I would _love_ to hear you play! Wouldn't it be cool, Takashi?"

The taller boy nodded in automatic agreement with his cousin. Kagome glared at him, but she couldn't tell if he cared or not.

Growling, she obediently took out her flute. Connecting the head joint and the body of the together with expert skill, she sighed in defeat.

Placing the instrument to her lips lightly, she blew a soft note, attempting to mentally tune her flute. Once she was satisfied, she closed her eyes and began to blow, letting her fingers automatically reach notes. She hadn't played in a while and loved to improvise, so she decided to work around a Bb concert scale.

She opened her eyes as she stopped playing; everything had gotten too quiet. She looked at them all questioningly, "What? Was I flat or something?"

That seemed to break everyone out of their trance. All of the girls, once again, squealed loudly. "Oh, Kagome-chan!" Tamaki ran over and latched onto her, "My dearest cousin! That was _amazing_!"

Kagome swatted him away angrily. "I don't care if you're my cousin or not, you _don't_ touch me like that."

"Thanks for the cake, Hanninozuka-sempai, I think I'll just go back to the window now…" The teen smiled over at her brightly. Walking back to her original post, she yawned and closed her eyes, crossing her arms and her ankles. Soon enough, she was asleep like before the whole 'cake incident,' as she would furthermore refer to it as, happened.

At the end of the hosting session, Kyouya woke her up. "Kagome-san, it seems that you truly attracted attention to yourself today. A lot of our customers today requested that they sit with you tomorrow. Your flute playing was phenomenal, I must say. Though, weren't your fangs in the way?"

Not even bothering to open her eyes, Kagome answered him, "I just hope this helps Fujioka-san eliminate her debt… And, no, the fangs presented no problem, although, I did cut my lip slightly. See you tomorrow. I have to meet up with Nekozawa-chan. I _do_ gotta change first…" Kyouya winced at the way she so familiarly referred to the Black Magic user as well as her bad use of grammar. Not even bothering to go to the changing room, she slipped on her pants under the (faux) fur pelt (MB: she was also wearing shorts under, I assure you) and pulled the cloth off.

Everyone in the club seemed to pause awkwardly. "What?" She asked for what seemed like the billionth time that day, "I'm changing. Got a problem with that? Not like you're gonna see anything…" she mumbled. She pulled off the furry gauntlets and ankle protectors and unbuckled the armor around her chest. Everyone looked away as she did so, "Idiots. There's a reason I am able to wear the stupid men's uniform. I have to wear this wrap thing, so you're not gonna see anything." None listened, all seemingly glued to their spots as she changed the rest of her clothes.

"Freaking morons…" She growled as she headed toward the door. Suddenly, a looming presence came through the door. Kagome perked up immediately, "Nekozawa-chan! How are you! How was the Black Magic club meeting?" She went and hugged him, much to the displeasure of Tamaki. The cloaked figure blushed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I-it went well, mistress-OW!" Kagome proceeded to give him a good knock on the noggin.

"It's Kagome, _remember_?" She narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Of course, _Kagome_." He emphasized her name so to appease her. "All went well, and I am doing fine, thank you."

She smiled at him and dragged him out of the room, excitedly talking about the contents of the meeting.

The Host Club members were all quiet for a brief minute. "Tamaki," Kaoru said, breaking the silence, "you're cousin is kind of a _weirdo_…"

"Yeah." Agreed Hikaru, "_very_ weird."

Haruhi turned to them, "No, I don't think she's _weird_. I think she is just… shutting herself out from the world… _Isolating_ herself. I can see it in her eyes. Very shielded. Almost like she is afraid of something."

Kyouya looked at the girl curiously. She _did_ seem to have a point, though, "Nekozawa-sempai must have done _something _to make her more open around him, though." The analytical junior only stated the obvious, but it seemed that a new weight had been added Tamaki's shoulders.

"She's my cousin." He stated weakly, flopping into a chair. "I want to get to know her…"

Haruhi went over to the self-proclaimed king and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "I'm sure you'll get to know her eventually, Tamaki-sempai. Just give it time… I'm sure it will work out in the end!" She gave him a small smile before excusing herself, saying that there was a produce sale she wished to attend.

A light bulb seemed to go off in Tamaki's eyes. "I got it! We could spy on her!" Hunny looked slightly apprehensive.

"But Tama-chan… Wouldn't that be invading her personal space?"

The Host club members all stared at their 'King.' "Well… It wouldn't be if…" He seemed to contemplate something, "one of you…" he hesitated ever so slightly, "took her out on a date…" Kyouya gazed at his friend apprehensively. "It would have to be Kyouya." He stated, firm in resolve, "I'm her cousin, and I think that Kyouya would be able to catch onto things any one of you might not. So, Kyouya, would you take my cousin on a date?"

The Ohtori was shocked into silence. His heart (for whatever reason) seemed to beg him to say 'yes,' while his brain, logically, told him to say 'no.' He nodded unconsciously, it appeared as if his heart had won the internal battle.

He didn't seem to hear Hikaru and Kaoru's snide remarks, teasing the 'ice prince,' as they insisted on calling him. He _did_, however, manage to hear that after the date, which _he_ would be initiating, he was to tell them anything and _everything_ that happened.

Sitting there aloofly, the stoic junior sighed in acceptance for the job he had just (unknowingly) agreed too.


	4. Trust My Cousin

Chapter 4: …Trust my cousin

"Kagome-san!" Kyouya ran after the girl as she was ecstatically talking to her sempai.

They stopped, and the small junior clinging to the black-clad senior turned around in surprise. "Ohtori-san? Can I help you?" Nekozawa had excused himself, saying that he had to meet with the black magic club to tell them of her arrival. "Did I forget something back at the club?"

The boy shook his head. "No, I just wished to speak with you separately from the others. I wanted to ask you something…"

"You just did," she waved her arm at him casually, chuckling at her oh-so-clever joke. He nodded his head, "I was just kidding, please, go on…"

Kyouya swallowed thickly. Suddenly, his throat felt dry and his stomach churned. "Kagome-san… I wanted to know… If you would like to go out sometime…"

She groaned and buried her face in her hands, "Poor, poor, Ohtori-san… Watashi no Itoko no baka-san put you up to this, didn't he… The moron could have just asked about whatever he wanted to find out…" She shook her head disappointedly. "Mou… I hope that he realizes I'll have no reason to trust him after this…"

The boy gained his voice back, "He won't be very happy if I tell him that you refused… Or if I tell him you said that you can't trust him…"

She waved his statement away, "That's too bad for him. Either way, I'm not going to be available for a while. I have to go see ani-ue after school for extra training and stuff…"

This piqued the male's attention, "Extra training? For what?"

She blinked, standing as straight and stiff as a board, "Um… I just remembered! Nekozawa-chan is waiting for me!" She ran away at, what he analyzed as, an un-human speed. Shrugging, he decided that she worth his time.

Even if she wasn't, she had turned down _his_ offer for a _date_. He may have been known as the 'ice king,' but any other girl still would have jumped at the chance… To put it simply:

His ego was bruised…

…and he wasn't planning on letting her get away with doing such a vile thing. He would have admitted to being slightly upset at her though, and he _would_ get her to go out on a date with him… and _like_ it too.

He walked back into the third music room, confidence restored that his pride would once again be complete when he went on a date with her. And _that_ was something that he planned on doing.

Not only was he going to enforce this for Tamaki anymore, it was personal.

_His_ ego was damaged, and _he_ was going to fix it soon enough.

He heard a voice, "So, what did she say?" Eyeing the blonde sitting on his chair, he pushed his glasses up slightly more so the glare would block his eyes from their view.

"She said no." There was a collective gasp from the group in front of him before everyone broke off into their own responses. Hunny ran over to him and gave him a hug

"It's okay, Kyo-chan! They don't _always_ say yes…" He pulled back from the one-sided embrace and smiled wide, "sometimes, persistence helps!" The cheery boy skipped back to the Morinozuka.

Meanwhile, the twins were laughing at the fact that Kyouya had even tried, mocking that she had turned him down, "She must have totally freaked when you asked her!" Hikaru snickered. "Yeah!" Kaoru agreed, "I can't blame her for saying 'no!'"

Tamaki sat in his chair disbelievingly, and Kyouya was surprised that his friend's jaw wasn't on the ground. "Sh-She said 'No?'"

Kyouya nodded firmly. "Indeed, Tamaki, she said no. What are we to do now? She said that you could just _ask_, but I'm sure she would hold things back."

The blonde boy nodded and frowned, looking years older than he really was. He slumped forward in his seat and ran a nimble hand though his hair. "I don't understand! Why would she say 'no?' I was so sure that this would work…"

Kyouya sat down and rubbed his temples. He could feel the beginnings of a headache developing. "I'll ask her again tomorrow."

The 'King' looked at the taller boy with appreciative smile, "Thanks Kyouya, this means a lot." He shot out of his seat, punching his fist in the air, "I've always wanted a cousin! So I am determined to find out what makes her tick!"

Kyouya looked slightly amused at these actions, but nodded his head. He couldn't wait for tomorrow.


	5. Look Away From You

Chapter 5: …Look Away From You

"…and so, based from the passage, can anybody infer as to why the Vietnam war, or the Second Indochina war, was so different from all the other wars that were waged by America?"

A raven-haired woman raised a dainty hand, answering before the teacher even called on her, "It is because it created a counterculture movement in America, sir." The teacher stood there, looking rather impressed.

"Very good, Higurashi! Everyone, you're homework, due in two days is to write a 10,000 word paper on the counterculture movement." There were groans heard in the classroom.

"There goes my yacht ride tonight…"

Everyone laughed.

Kagome only rolled her eyes. She knew that the boy was probably serious. The teacher sighed, "Class dismissed."

Grabbing up her belongings, Kagome headed up to the third music room. Knocking on the door politely, she straightened out her appearance before letting herself in.

Tamaki was immediately in front of her, saying words she was not listening to, as she walked straight past him. The eccentric boy seemed to shatter. "My dearest cousin! How could you run past me? All I wanted was to give you a warm welcome to your second day at school!"

She waved away his silliness, "Yeah, yeah… so, what do I do today?"

Quickly adjusting his glasses, Kyouya smiled at her, "Well, today you will be helping host, since the girls all took quite well to you yesterday."

She flicked the non-existent dirt from her fingernail. "Hm. Fine."

"Good. They should be coming in any minute now."

Kagome tried not to roll her eyes. All she had to do was act cool… After all, it always worked for her ani-ue…

And sure enough, not but a minute later, the club's first two customers walked through the door. "Konnichiwa, hime-sama…" Tamaki smiled sweetly at the women, "How can we be of service?"

Girl one blushed and giggled like a madwoman, "Well… we wanted to visit with Kagome-san…" The girls began to giggle at each other giddily.

Tamaki grinned, "Why of course, let me just get him for you… Kagome-chan?"

She yawned, stretching as she walked over to her cousin, "Hm?" Hearing the annoying giggle of the girls in front of her, her eyebrows rose slightly. "Do you want me to take them to someone?"

The innocent look on her face was just too much for her overly sensitive cousin. He simply couldn't take it anymore! She was just so cute! He 'glomped' her as she'd often done with her ani-ue, "AH! 'Gome-chan! You are just too cute to resist! Oh, dearest cousin, how I lo-" She cut him off with a frightening glare.

The girls squealed, "Oh… Kagome-chan is so scary!"

Kagome resisted rolling her eyes. "We can go over to the couch by Haruhi, I guess…" She murmured.

Eagerly they followed, forgetting about Tamaki, leaving him feeling quite lonely. Slipping over to his corner, he never even bothered to turn his head, "Mother?"

Kyouya sighed, "Yes, Father?"

"You need to take her out soon… I can't stand her not liking me!"

"Me going out with her won't necessary change any of her views of you…"

Tamaki's eyes went downcast, "Well, I can hope that it will…"

Kyouya shook his head at his friend. Yes, yes he could hope… but only Tamaki would be able to make Kagome like Tamaki. Not Kyouya or Haruhi or anyone else, only Tamaki. But Kyouya knew that his friend, though not as dense as he seemed, was too caught up with other things, such as Haruhi, to figure it out.

As Kyouya's eyes glanced at the other side of the room, he could see Kagome struggling to figure out how to entertain the girls that were fawning over her. He tried not to laugh, the brief thought that a girl should know how to entertain one of their own gender crossing his mind.

He couldn't take his eyes away from her. His wrist and hand moved reflexively, taking notes about everything he saw, but at that moment all he saw was _Kagome, Kagome, Kagome…_

Finally, he forced himself to look down at his clipboard to see what he had jotted down. It was only one word – _lovely_.

And for the first time, when he looked back at her, their eyes met, and she gave him a quick, _real_ smile. It was there for net even a second, but he saw it, and it made his whole body go up in flames… and his eyes were glued to her form again.

He didn't look away for the rest of the day.


End file.
